Gas-engine ignition-regulator.



Patented July 29, |902.

M. J. SULLIVAN.

GAS ENGINE IGNITION REGULATOR.

(Application led Jan. 13, 1902.)

2 Sheeis-Sheet l.

(nu Model.)

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no; 705,88l. Patented July 29,1902.

M. J. SULLIVAN.

GAS ENGINE lGNITION REGULATOR.

(Application led Jan. 13, 1902.)

2 Sheets-Shed 2.

(In loam.)

WITNESSES A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STNrns MICHAEL .'l'.

PATENT @unici SULLIVAN, OF SPRINGFIELD, OIIIO.

GAS-ENGINE lGNlTlN-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 705,881, dated July 29, 1902.

Application filed January 13, 1902. Serial No. 89,410. (No model.`|

T0 (all 7.1170071@ it ntrty concern:

Beit known that I, MICHAEL J. SULLIvAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engine Ignition- Regulators, of which the following is a speciication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to gas-engine ignition-regulators, and has for its object to provide means whereby in the operation of gasengines and other similar motors wherein the charge is ignited by an electric spark such ignition may be caused to occur at any desired portion of the stroke and such regulation being either effected by manual adjustment, so that the successive explosions will occur at any predetermined point, or effected automatically, so as to vary in accordance with the running conditions of the engine.

To these and other ends my invention consists in certain novel features, which I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end elevation of a construction embodying my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 'it u of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail View of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line n n of Fig. 4. and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional View taken on the line fw w of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken ou the line .fr a; of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. S is a detail plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4t. Fig. D is a detail sectional view taken on the line y y of Fig. 7 and looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on the line e' ,e of Fig. 1.

In the said drawings I have shown my invention as `applied to an igniter of the type known as a jump-spark igniter, although its application is not limited to this particular type of igniter. In 'this illustrative construction, l indicates the framework of the engine, and 2 the power-cylinder, while 3 indicates a shaft driven by the engine and having its speed proportionate to the speed of the engine. This shaft is preferably the side shaft from which the governoris driven,and said shaft is in electrical connection with ono terminal of the battery el or other source of electrical energy by means of which the igniter is operated. This connection is preferably effected by means of a conductor 5, connecting the battery with the engine-cylinder, which latter is in electrical connection with the shaft On said shaft there is secured a contact-arm 6, preferably arranged, as shown, in a position approxi mately tangent to the shaft. In the present instanceI have shown said arm as attached to the hub 7 of a bevel-gear S, by means of which the governor is driven; but this is merely a matter of convenience. Cooperating with this contact-arm 6 is a contact-block f), which is adjustable in the plane of revolution of said contact-arm and around the center of revolution of said arm. To effect this adjustment, I employ a segment-bar 10, lying in the plane of revolution of the arm 6 and having the center of the shaft 3 as the center of its radius of curvature. This segment-bar is preferably slotted, as indicated at 11, or built up of two separate parts suitably spaced apart, and there is mounted to slide on the same a head 12, grooved at its sides, as indicated at 13, to receive the two members of the bar 1() between which it fits. In the lower end of this head the contact-block 9 is yieldingly mounted, said head being provided with lugs 14 at its under side, connected by a pin l5, while the block 9 lits between the lugs 14 and is vertically slotted, as indicated at 1G, to receive the pin 15. Springs 17 are interposed between the block 9 and the under side of the head 12 on each side of the pin 15, so that the block is not only free to yield bodily in a vertical direction, but also to tilt or pivot on the pin 15, the springs 17 returning it to its normal position after either movement. The ends of the contact or under surface of the block are preferably rounded off, as shown at 1S. In order to facilitate adjustment of the head upon the segment-bar, I provide the same with a handle 19, and in order to secure the head relatively to the bar when desired I employ a clamping-block E20, extending transvcrscly through an aperture 2l in the head over the upper surface of the segment-bar. In order to simplify the construction, I prefer to employ the handle 19 as a means for operating the clamping-block 20, and for this purpose said handle has a threaded extension 22, fitting' into a correspondingly-threaded aperture in the upper portion of the head I2, its lower end bearing on the upper side of the clamping-block 20, so that when said handle is turned in said direction the block will be forced against the bar to hold the head stationary, while turning said handle in the opposite direction will release the block and leave the head free to travel upon the bar. To facilitate this turning of the handle, I prefer to provide it with a tranverse pin 23, and in order to prevent the handle from working down into clamping position by accidental rotation when it should remain free to move I inter-pose between it and the head a spring 24, coiled around the extension 22. Prefer` ably the outer or exposed face of the segmentbar I0 is graduated or provided with an indicating-scale 25, and a suitable cooperating indicator or pointer is provided on the head 12, this being preferably done by extending the corresponding end of the clamping-block 2O and forming the same into a pointer, as indicated at 26. In order to support the segment-bar IO, it is provided with an extension 27, supported by a bracket 2S from some suitable portion of the engine, from which it is insulated, as indicated at `29 in Fig. l. The extension 7 is in electrical connection with the other terminal of the battery 4 by means of a conductor 30, and the said extension, bar, head, and intermediate parts are of conducting material, so that the block 9 is in electrical connection with the opposite terminal of the battery to that with which the contact-arm 6 is electrically connected. In the particular construction shown the conductor 30 is connected with one end of Jthe primary coil of a sparking-coil 3l, the other end of the primary being connected by a conductor 32 with the battery. The secondary coil is connected by conductors and 34 with electrodes 35 and 36, extending into t-he cylinder or ignition-chamber, from the walls of which they are insulated in any suitable manner, as indicated at 37 in Fig. l0. The inner ends of these electrodes are separated in the usual manner by a distance such that when the main or primary circuit is closed a spark will pass between them.

The apparatus, which is complete in itself for manual adjustment so far as described, operates in the following` manner: The engine being in operation, rotary movement is imparted to the shaft 3 in such a manner as to bring the contact-arm 6 into contact with the block 9 at a time when the cylinder has in it an explosive charge and the piston is making a working stroke. This closing of the primary circuit causes a spark to pass between the electrodes and ignites lthe charge. The

roar-ici point of the stroke at which the explosion takes place is controlled by the position of the block 9, which may be shifted over the segment-bar by means of the head and its handle, so as to cause the explosion to take place earlier or later during the stroke, as de sired. The effective force of the explosion may thus be regulated by the time of its occurrence, and in practice great nicety of ad* justinent of the work of the engine toits load may be thus accomplished, the contact-block being shifted in the manner described, according to the particular load which the engine has at the time. The adjustment is quickly and readily effected, and the parts are simple and durable in construction. Moreover, I am enabled by the construction described to so adjust the ignition as to cause an explosive action at each appropriate period in the cycle of operations, thus dispensing with the necessity of omitting explosions at times in order to prevent overproduction of power.

In order to provide regulation under liuctuating loads, I may employ automatic means for shifting the contact-block, so as to regulate the point of ignition, and I prefer, to this end, to employ a governor which not only effects the shifting of the contact-block, but also simultaneously controls a governingvalve, by means of which the admission of the explosive mixture to the cylinder is regulated. In this construction the bevel-gear S, to which I have already referred as being mounted on the shaft 3, meshes with a bevelgear S8, secured on the lower end of a sleeve 39, supported in abearing 40 on the end of a bracket 4l, arising from one of the bearings of the shaft 3. The sleeve 39 has pivots 42, on which are mounted governor-arms 43, their outer ends being provided with weights 44, while their inner ends (indicated at 45) bear upon the head of a vertically-movable bar46, mounted in the sleeve 39. A spring 47 acts to normally lift said bar,while the outward movement of the weights 44 will tend to depress said bar against the action of the spring. The lower end of the bar 46 is connected with one end of a lever 48, pivoted at 49 to the engine-frame and having` its other end operatively connected with a governing-valve 50, located within the inlet-pipe 5l of the engine. Preferably this connection is effected by making the governing-valvefQ a rotary valve, having a shaft 52 extendifout through the pipe 5l and provided externally with a crankarm 53, havinga pin 54, which is embraced by the slotted end of the lever 48. The other end of the shaft 52 extends through the other wall of the inlet-pipe 5l and is there provided with a crank-arm which is operatively connected with the head l2, so that said head will be shifted over the segmentbar in accordance with the operation of the governor as controlled by the speed of the engine. I have, however, made particular provision in my preferred form of this connection for effecting two IOO IIO

a portion of the segment-bar lying on either side of the center or at the center, and I have also provided for regulating the limits within which this motion takes plate irrespectively of the range of movement of the governor and incidentally of the valve. In this preferred form of connection the crank on the end of the shaft 52 is made in two parts 55 and 56, insulated from each other, so as to prevent electrical connection between the block 9 and the engine-frame, and the part i 56 is longitudinally slotted, as indicated at 57. A crank-pin 58 extends through this slot and through a nut 59, threaded on the threaded extremity of said crank-pin and bearing against the rear face of the crank-arm 56, being provided with a projection 60, fitting within the slot to prevent the nut from turning. 'lhe crank-pin 58 has a c'ollar 6l secured thereon and a head 62, having linger-grasps, so that the crank-pin may be readily turned to loosen the connection between it and the crank-arm to permit adjustment and as readily clamped in position after adjustment. Loosely mounted on the projecting body of the crank-pin 58 is a sleeve 63, threaded externally to receive a wing-nut 64, said sleeve being provided with a head 65, which bears against the rear face of a slotted connectinglink 66, into the slot 67 of which a projecting portion 68 of the head extends. A washer 69 is preferably employed between the nut 64 and the outer face of the link 66, said washer being mounted loosely on the sleeve 63. It will be seen that by means of the nut 64 the slotted portion of the link 67 may be clamped between said nut and the head of the sleeve at any desired point, this adjustment being entirely independent of the adj ustment of the crank-pin in the crank-arm 56. It will also be noted that the slot 67 is open at its end, so that the link 66 may be readily slipped off of the sleeve, if desired. The other end o'f the link 66 is pivotally connected to the head 12, preferably by means of a pin 70, passing through an apertured lug 7l on the head.

When the above construction is employed, it will be seen that by adjusting the connection between the link 66 and the crank-pin that portion of the arc of the segment-bar over which the head and its contact-block will travel under the iniiuence of the governor may be predetermined. For instance, I have shown in Fig. 4in full lines an adjustment of this connection such that the initial position ,ser

of the block is central and its range of movement is from a central position to the right; In the same ligure I have shown in dotted lines an adjustment of this connection wherein the initial position is considerably to the right of the center, the ran ge of movement being to the right of that position. By an adjustment in the opposite direction the range of movement may be to the left of the center of the arc. By adjusting the crank-pin along the crank-arm 56 the extent of this movement may be similarly controlled within any one of its fields of limitation, being less as the crank-pin is adjusted toward the center of motion of the crank-arm and greater as it is adjusted away from said center of motion. Vhen the engine is in operation, it is obvious that upon any excess in speed the governor will move the contact-block over so as to correspondingly defer the ignition of the charge to a later period of the stroke, thereby correspondingly reducing the power and speed. Nhere the controlling-valvev is employed in conjunction with the governor and the automatic ignition-regulator,which is my preferred arrangement, it is obvious that the speed is further controlled by a diminution in the supply of the explosive mixture drawn into the cylinder by the partial closing of the controllingvalve; but in each case some of the mixture is introduced and an explosion takes place with each stroke of the engine, there being no missed strokes. lt is obvious, however, that the governor might be connected to the contact-block directly instead of through the medium of the controlling-valve.

The inlet-pipe 5l is provided with an inletvalve 7 2, which is an inwardly-opening valve normally closed by a spring 73 and opened by the suction of the piston during the charging stroke, the gas being admitted through the pipe 74 and the air through the pipe or opening 75, the valve controlling the admission of both gas and air. An adjustable stop 76 limits the inward or opening movement of the valve.

It will be noted that the adjustment of the contact-block may be made by hand while the engine is running, so that when the govern or connection with said block is dispensed with the position of the block may be readily shifted, as may be required. Vhen the governor connection is employed, the same handshifting is possible by reason of the fact that loosening of the crank-pin sleeve is readily effected, so as to disconnect the governor. This is particularly advantageous in starting the engine when the governor connection is employed, since the crank-pin sleeve may be loosened and the contact-block set by hand to the desired starting position until the engine is properly started, after which the contact-block may be loosened and moved to its desired iield of movement on the segmentbar and the whole quickly connected. up by tightening the crank-pin sleeve while the engine is running.

lOO

IIO

el: massi I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself strictly to the precise details hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, as it is obvious that said details may be varied Without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an apparatus of the character described, a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contact-arm, a segment-bar lying in the plane of rotation of said arm, its center of curvature being the center of rotation of said arm, and a head provided with a contact-block and adjustable longitudinally on said bar, substantially as described.

2. In a sparking electric ignition device for gas-engines, the combination, with suitable electrodes, of a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contact-arm, a segmentbar lying in the plane of rotation of said arm, its center of curvature being the center of rotation of said arm, and a head provided with a contact-block and adjustable longitudinally on said bar, and a governor driven by the engine and operatively connected with said block to shift the same, substantially as described.

3. Inasparking electric ignition device for gas-engines, the combination, with suitable electrodes, of a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contact-arm, a segmentbar lying in the plane of rotation of said arm, its center of curvature being the center of rotation of said arm, and a head provided with a contact-block and adjustable longitudinally on said bar, a governor also driven by the engine and operatively connected with said block to shift the same, and a valve controlling the charge-inlet and operatively connected with the governor to work in unison with the shifting contact-block, substantially as described.

4E. In an apparatus of the character described, a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contact-arm, a segment-bar lying in the plane of rotation of said arm, its center of curvature being the center of rotation of said arm, and a head provided with a yielding contact-block and adjustable longitudinally on said bar, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contact-arm, a segment-bar lying in the plane of rotation of said arm, its cen ter of curvature being the center of rotation thereof, said bar being longitudinally slotted, a head grooved to tit and slide in said slotted bar and provided with a contact-block and a clamping-block, and a handle threaded into said head and operating the clamping-block, substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contact-arm, a segment-bar lying in the plane of rotation of said arm, its center of curvature being the center of motion thereof, a head adapted to slide longitudinally on said bar and provided with clamping means, lugs depending from said head and connected by a transverse pin, a contact-block fitting between said lugs and vertically slotted to receive the pin, and springs interposed between said block and head on each side of the pin, substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contactarm, and a contact-block adjustable in the plane of rotation of said arm and in an arc whose center is the center of motion thereof, of a governor driven by the engine, and connecting mechanism between said governor and contact-block for shifting said block, said mechanism comprising means for regulating the portion of the arc of movement of saidblock over which the governor shifts the same, substantially as described.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contactarm, and a contact-block' adjustable in the plane of rotation of said arm and in an arc whose center is the center of motion of said arm, of a governor driven by the engine, and connecting mechanism between said governor and contact-block for shifting the block, said Vconnecting mechanism comprising means for regulating the extent of the motion imparted to the block by the governor, substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus ofv the character described, the combination, with a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contactarm, and a contact-block adjustable in the plane of rotation of said arm and in an arc whose center is the center of motion of said arm, of a governor driven by the engine, and connecting mechanism between the governor and contact-block to shift the latter, said connecting mechanism comprising means for regulating the portion of the arc of movement of the block over which the governor shifts said block, and also means for regulating the extent of motion within that portion of the arc imparted to the block by the governor, substantially as described.

l0. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contactarm, and a contact-block adjustable in the IIO massi 5 plane of rotation of said arm and in an arc Whose center is the center of motion of said arm, of a governor driven by the engine, connecting mechanism between said governor and contact-block to shift the latter, and means for rendering said connecting mechanism inoperative atwill, substantially as described.

ll. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination, with a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contactarm, and a contact-block adjustable in the plane of rotation of said arm and in an arc Whose center is the center of motion of said arm, of a governor driven by the engine, a rock-shaft operated by said governor and provided With a crank-arm, a crank-pin adjustable on said crank-arm, and a link operatively connected with the contact-block and adjustably connected with the crank-pin, substantially as described.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with a circuit-making device comprising a rotating part driven by the engine and provided with a contactarm, and a contact-block adjustable in the plane of rotation of said arm and in an arc Whose center is the center of motion of said arm, of a governor driven by the engine, a

charge-inlet pipe having a rock-shaft connected With the governor and provided with a controlling-valve located Within said pipe, said rock-shaft being provided with a crankarm, and a link connecting said crank-arm 35 and the contact-block, substantially as described.

13. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination, with a circuit-malring device comprising a rotating part driven 4o by the engine and provided With a contactarm, a segment-bar located in the plane of rotation of said arm, its center of curvature being the center of motion thereof, and a head provided with a contact-block, said head be- 45 ing movable longitudinally on said arm and having clamping devices to engage the bar, of a governor, connectin g mechanism between said governor and the head, a handle threaded4 into the head and controlling the clamp- 5o ing devices, and a spring interposed between the head and handle to prevent accidental clamping action by the handle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I al'lix my signature 55 

